Armed forces training gets GBP250 M boost

Defence minister Dr Andrew Murrison has announced that a new £250 million Defence College of Logistics, Policing and Administration will provide world class facilities for our armed forces and will bring together the training for key support roles from each of the services onto one site for the first time.

The new college will cover such diverse areas as catering, supply, transport and military human resources.

It will enable the Ministry of Defence to train personnel more efficiently and effectively so that they can provide the best possible support for military operations.

The development, which will be built at Worthy Down in Hampshire, will provide purpose-built training facilities and living accommodation for up to 2,000 students and staff.

The Ministry of Defence has awarded the contract for the construction to Skanska plc.

This is the just the latest investment in training facilities for our troops after Dr Murrison announced a £121 million contract for a new Defence College of Technical Training at Lyneham in Wiltshire at the end of last year.

Dr Murrison said:

The new college will ensure our servicemen and women have state-of-the-art training with great accommodation in which to live and learn.

By colocating activities for all 3 services we are improving efficiency and saving taxpayers’ money by making the best use of the defence estate.

The contract was awarded by the Defence Infrastructure Organisation, the Ministry of Defence’s property and services provider.

Construction will begin in late 2014 and is expected to be completed by late 2018. Training will continue at the site throughout the construction period.